It was five years ago, and I was still living in England. I had fallen in love with baking and was just getting into food blogs when my friend Steph sent me the link to this vegan pumpkin bread recipe. I knew what it meant to be vegan, but I had yet to embrace the lifestyle. At that point Julie Potter’s Blue Ribbon Pumpkin Bread was my go-to recipe, and I would never have made this dairy-free version had my friend (also non-vegan) not insisted I try it. With Steph’s endorsement and coconut milk in the ingredient list, I was intrigued.
I’m glad I gave it a try because I found this loaf was as rich, moist, and flavorful as my regular recipe, and yet it was achieved without butter and eggs. It got me thinking, “Might other dishes be equally good without dairy?” Five years later and this recipe has stuck with me because it was the first to spark a subtle paradigm shift within me.
It’s been just over two months since I completely scratched meat and dairy, and with pumpkin season here I wanted to make sure we got this bread right. Mom and I experimented over the weekend, making tweaks to the original recipe and incorporating elements of our own simple pumpkin bread recipe, a lighter version of Julie Potter’s recipe.
What stands out about the original pumpkin bread recipe is the very clever use of coconut milk. You’d think the coconut would distinctly flavor the bread, but it only manifests itself in the moist, velvety texture. The bread tastes distinctly of pumpkin and spice. We added oats, switched out coconut oil for vegetable, bumped up the spice, and used white whole wheat. The result–at least to me–is vegan perfection.
- 3½ cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats, plus extra for sprinkling
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons each: ground ginger and cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon each: baking soda and salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
- 1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin
- ¾ cup coconut oil
- 2 cups brown sugar
- Grease two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans. Adjust over rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, oats, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cloves in a large bowl.
- Meanwhile, whisk coconut milk, pumpkin, coconut oil, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Beat wet ingredients into dry ingredients until smooth; divide evenly between prepared pans and sprinkle with extra oats.
- Bake until golden brown and a cake taster comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes. Run a knife around the pan to loosen the bread and then turn onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Even if you’re not vegan, give this pumpkin bread a try. See how it measures up to your own classic recipe. Who knows? This bread could spark the same subtle paradigm shift within you.
This morning I’m enjoying a slice of this pumpkin bread with a little slather of peanut butter–very good!
So I know this won’t make it as healthy, but can I use regular all purpose flour instead of the white whole wheat?
Absolutely,Jean, regular all-purpose flour is interchangeable with white whole wheat.
Hey! This looks amazing! Is there any way I can leave out or find a substitute for the oats? Jason is allergic:/ xo
Hey Shea!
Just leave the oats out, it’ll be fine!
questions from a non vegan 🙂 Can I use regular milk and canola oil?
Hey Beth, rather than adapting this recipe why don’t you try this one….
http://threemanycooks.com/recipes/sweet-treats/simple-seasonal-pumpkin-bread/
Yay! I’ve also recently transitioned to a plant-based diet and have been struggling with finding replacements for my favorite baked goods, especially with fall arriving.
In your notes you mention switching out the coconut oil for veg oil, but the recipe says coconut oil…did you test with the veg oil not stand up to the coconut oil version?
Hey Kathleen,
We went with coconut oil. It’s healthy, yet solid at room temp like butter.
Do you measure the coconut oil before melting or after? Thanks!
How is the coconut oil measured- as solid or is it melted? Thanks
Hey Cathy, We warmed it to liquid state. If it’s in a glass jar, just remove the lid and microwave it, then pour into a liquid measuring cup.
Will this work with light coconut milk? Or should I use regular coconut milk? Thanks!
Hey Amy, Thinking we probably needed the fat, we used regular coconut milk. If you try it with light, let us know how it performs.
Is there a smart way of cutting down on the sugar yet keeping it sweet? Half brown sugar half honey?
Hey Jaimee,
Just as fat is fat, sugar is sugar. Some are less bad for you than others, but in terms of calories, it’s all the same. In fact, honey is more caloric than most other sugars. You can play with switching out some sugars for others, and you’ll get similar results. You can also play with reducing sugar, but too much and you start affecting texture.
I used the light coconut milk and it was delicious! I’m not sure how it compares to the full fat coconut milk since I haven’t made that version yet. If you have a can of light coconut milk sitting in your pantry, you can be confident that this will taste great. Thanks for another great recipe!
This sounds incredibly delicious! Have you tried making it gluten free? Do you have any suggestions to make it gluten free? Thanks so much!
What are suggestions for using whole wheat flour instead of white whole wheat flour?
Hey Trisha,
I’d start with half all-purpose and half whole wheat as a substitute and see how you like it. If it works and you want to increase the whole wheat, increase the ratio gradually. Good luck!
I substituted 1.5 cups of white whole wheat flour with All Bran cereal. I also added some toasted walnuts. I had some toasted old fashioned oatmeal so I used that.
These turned out beautifully. The spice levels are just right. The recipe was a great guideline.
Thank you, ladies!